Former city clerk charged with embezzling $186,000

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The former city clerk of a small, northeast Kansas community has been accused of embezzling at least $186,000 in public funds.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said 61-year-old Alice Riley, of Topeka, was indicted in federal court Tuesday on one count of interstate transportation of stolen funds. Riley’s attorney told The Topeka Capital-Journal there would be no immediate comment.

Riley was the city clerk for Auburn, a rural community of about 1,200 people in southwest Shawnee County.

Prosecutors allege that Riley began embezzling city funds in 2009, issuing duplicate payroll checks to herself and depositing other city checks into her personal accounts. She’s accused of trying to hide the alleged embezzlement by creating false entries in Auburn’s books and bank statements.